


Mistletoe

by spinninginfinity



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-11
Updated: 2012-12-11
Packaged: 2017-11-21 03:44:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/593057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinninginfinity/pseuds/spinninginfinity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Donna kisses someone beneath the mistletoe. It isn't Josh. Petty jealousy ensues.</p><p>Written for <a href="http://averywestwingchristmas.tumblr.com">averywestwingchristmas</a> on Tumblr.</p><p>
  <i>‘What were we talking about?’ Josh asked, tearing his gaze away.</i>
  <br/>
  <i>‘Whether I’d be covering up any drunken hook-ups on Monday. And no,’ CJ said firmly. ‘I won’t.’</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mistletoe

‘So the mistletoe,’ Josh said to CJ, grabbing another glass of punch and sitting next to her. ‘That was your idea?’

She swallowed her food, shaking her head. ‘Carol’s. But as the president likes to have all Christmas party ideas run by him and I was the one who had to sit in the Oval and hear a half-hour lecture on the ecological importance of the stuff, I feel comfortable taking credit for it. People seem to be having fun with it, don’t you think?’

‘Yeah. Some unlikely pairings in there, too. Will and Ginger?’

‘Leo and that woman from HR,’ CJ reminded him. ‘What’s her name? Something strange.’

He grinned. ‘Reckon there are going to be any drunken hook-ups for you to deny on Monday morning?’

CJ frowned at him in mock-disapproval. ‘Aren’t you too old to gossip, Joshua?’

‘I’m just saying, we’re sitting here watching our colleagues make out with each other, this punch is pretty strong, and the…’ He trailed off, and CJ followed his line of sight just in time to see Donna kiss Larry beneath the mistletoe to laughs and wolf-whistles from the rest of the staff.

‘What were we talking about?’ Josh asked, tearing his gaze away.

‘Whether I’d be covering up any drunken hook-ups on Monday. And no,’ CJ said firmly. ‘I won’t.’

***

‘Hey!’ Donna said, joining Josh at the buffet table. ‘You’ve just been hovering here for nearly twenty minutes! You okay?’

‘I’m fine!’ he said brightly. ‘Why wouldn’t I be fine?’

She leaned past him to grab a chocolate-covered strawberry. ‘These are really good. It’s a great party, don’t you think?’

‘Yes,’ he said, trying, _trying_ to be casual but the words sounding stiff and irritable instead. ‘You seem like you’re having a lot of fun.’

She looked at him for a second, then licked the chocolate off her fingers and held out her hand. ‘Come and dance with me.’

It slipped out before he could stop it. ‘Aren’t you dancing with Larry?’

A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face. ‘Why Larry?’

‘You seemed to be—’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I don’t really care who you dance with. You just seemed to be getting on well earlier.’

Donna stared at him. ‘Okay,' she said, her voice taking on that quiet, dangerous quality it sometimes did. ‘I don’t really know what point you’re trying to make, but I know it can’t be anything to do with the mistletoe before, because though you might be an ass about my dating life all the rest of the time, you definitely wouldn’t be an ass about a three-second peck at a Christmas party, would you?’

He huffed. ‘I never said it was to do with that.’

‘I should think not.’ She folded her arms. ‘Because I’m not putting up with your little passive-aggressive act tonight.’

‘Well, good, because that’s not what I’m doing.’

‘Good.’

‘Good, then,’ he said. He put his plate down on top of some others, having lost any appetite he might have had. ‘I actually need to go back to the office. Got some stuff I want to finish off before Monday.’ He grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth quickly. ‘Enjoy the party.’

***

His office was quiet. Quiet was great right now, Josh thought; the quiet let him get on with urgent work properly.

He was just missing the urgent work.

‘Josh?’ Donna called through the bullpen.

‘I’m busy!’ he yelled. ‘I mean, unless it’s—a national crisis, or something.’

She appeared in the doorway, silhouetted against the light from the bullpen, her hands behind her back.

‘Put a light on,’ she said. ‘You’ll strain your eyes.’

‘My eyes are fine,’ he responded shortly. ‘Did you need something?’

‘No. I came to say goodnight.’

‘The party’s winding down?’

‘Yeah, there aren’t many people still there.’

He made a great show of yawning and stretching. ‘Really? Who is still there?’

‘Oh, for god’s sake, Josh.’ She came into the room, one-handedly pulling up a chair next to him, and looked at his computer screen. ‘This is the stuff you wanted to finish before Monday?’

‘Yes,’ he said defiantly.

She gave a little snort of laughter. ‘If you put the Two of Clubs down on the Three of Diamonds, you can move that King into the empty spot.’

‘I was about to do that.’

‘You shouldn’t try to play this game on your own,’ she chided gently.

He followed the moves she’d indicated and turned to her, taking a deep breath. ‘I was a jerk before.’

‘Yes, you were,’ she said quietly, meeting his eyes.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Good.’ She was silent for a moment. ‘You really think I’m going to have some tawdry affair with _Larry_?’

‘I never said “tawdry affair”!’ he exclaimed. ‘Believe it or not, I don’t spend any time thinking about your sex life.’

‘Okay,’ she said.

‘I don’t.’

‘I believe you.’

He stared at her for a moment, casting around for something else to say.

‘What’s wrong with Larry?’ he asked. ‘He’s cute.’

‘Well, he’s not really my type, but if you’d like me to put in a good word for you—’

His mouth twitched. ‘What is your type?’

She shrugged. ‘It was just mistletoe, Josh.’

‘You didn’t answer my question.’

‘It’s just a plant,’ she continued, ignoring him, ‘that grows on other plants. It’s a parasite, actually. You know what “mistletoe” meant originally? “Dung on a twig”. Kind of sucks any romance out of it, huh?’

‘You’ve been listening to the president’s lectures.’

‘Can’t a girl find out mistletoe trivia on her own?’ She finally took her hand from behind her back, twirling a sprig of the stuff in her fingers. She held it above their heads and leaned in, and he thought she was probably just going for his cheek but he turned his head unconsciously at the last moment, and so their mouths brushed, and there was no wolf-whistling or cheering, just the low hum of the computer and his own little intake of breath.

‘Like I said,’ she murmured as she pulled away, ‘just mistletoe.’ She stood up. 'Did I leave my scarf in here?’

***

‘Hey,’ Donna said, perching on the arm of Josh’s chair. ‘Good party, huh?’

‘Yeah.’ He offered his plate of food to her, knowing she was determining the best thing to steal anyway. ‘Though I’m just thinking—this is the only time the Santos and Bartlet administrations will both be in this building for Christmas.’

Donna picked a couple of grapes off his plate. ‘Mm. It’s kind of sad.’

‘It is,’ he agreed.

‘If it’ll cheer you up at all,’ she said, ‘there’s some mistletoe over there. What do you say to a shameless public display of affection that we actually have an excuse for?’

He glanced up at her. ‘Someone once told me that “mistletoe” means “dung on a stick”, and pointed out that that kind of sucks the romance out of it.’

‘”On a twig”,’ she corrected. ‘And really it’s not about the mistletoe so much as it’s about who you’re under it with.’

‘That makes sense.’ He smiled. ‘Let’s go.’

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is welcomed and appreciated!


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